Again
by Xcetera
Summary: Mangaverse. Ed and Al have returned to Resembool with their original bodies, but Al is more aware than ever of his secret feelings for Winry. How will this change when he meets the new girl in town? Oneshot, AlxOC


**Yay! Another story! **

**Okay, so this oneshot was done with the theme 'Ice in Summer', given to my by theretard5892. I apologize again for making it AlxOC instead of EdxWin, but I needed a change. It was interesting to write, but it's not my favorite. Regardless, I wrote it for theretard5892, and I know I owe her an EdxWin story. Still working on that.**

**So, my OC is Xingese. Don't know if that is original or not, but I didn't want a typical OC. I don't really care for OCs that much, and I'm really scared of accidentally writing a Mary Sue and then having a whole bunch of people get mad at me. So, if my OC is a Mary Sue, please don't flame me. I don't like flames. I really tried my best.**

**Dedicated to theretard5892, who, by the way, edited this for me! Thank You!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any related material in any way whatsoever.**

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Ed and I have never had perfect lives. Our father left us when we were very young, and our mother died when I was six and Ed was seven. We both went through sever training as alchemists and then I lost my body and Ed lost an arm and a leg in a human transmutation. I had to live four years of my life in a suit of armor, and when I finally did get my body back, during the events of the Promised Day, it was weakened and I spent months returning it to its original state. And Ed never retrieved his original limbs.

Ed and I have never had perfect lives. But we've always had each other for support. We're closer than most brothers; since we're the only blood family we've got left. That can create a strong bond.

I've always looked up to my brother, because I admire his strength. Some of the things he did, I would have never been able to do. But even so, I've never been jealous of that fact. We are two separate people, with two separate sets of abilities, and his are larger than mine. I've never been jealous of anything that my brother has.

Except one thing.

"Al! Get up!"

Something poked my side _hard_ and I yelped, falling out of the bed, "Hey! That hurt!"

Ed scowled at me, "Do you have _any_ idea of what time it is?"

I scratched my head for a moment, "Er…"

"Ten-thirty."

My eyes widened in shock and I scrambled up, "Oh crap. I told Winry I'd have the shopping done by noon. She's gonna kill me."

"And me for not waking you up sooner," Ed muttered morbidly, "So hurry up."

I shooed Ed out of my room and quickly pulled some clothes on, only half caring about which ones. I glanced in the mirror. A thin faced seventeen year old glanced back. He still looked like he could use a good meal, and his golden eyes still drooped in sleep. His hair was long, thick and a mess. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. Shorter locks fell forward as I swept up my mane of hair. The effect still wasn't that satisfactory, but it would do.

As I grabbed my cane off of the chair by the window, I considered getting my hair cut for a moment, but then the thought was forgotten as I turned to the task ahead of me.

Quietly, I crept down the stairs, my eyes flitting around nervously. I reached the bottom, took another quick glance around and bolted for the door.

"Al!" I ignored Winry's cry and sped out the door, down the front steps and down the path. I was surprised that Winry didn't catch me, considering that my running wasn't too fast nowadays. Gradually, I began to slow down, falling into a limping gait that I normally walked with.

The walk to town wasn't long, about twenty minutes or so, and I soon reached the bustling market of Resembool. I mentally went over the list in my head, and began to gather the groceries with haste.

The streets were busy, and I sometimes had to wait ten minutes before my turn at a stall. I went through the list as quickly as I could manage, constantly checking the time on my pocket watch. As I neared the end of the list, I began to relax a little. I had plenty of time to get home by noon, if I kept up a quick pace.

I walked over to the fruit vendor, waving to some children who called my name. Resembool was a small town, and Ed and I were sort of big. Reputation-wise.

I leaned over a tray of apples, looking for ones that didn't have bruises. The vendor was quite familiar with me; apples were always on the grocery list.

"Morning Al," he greeted and I nodded, putting aside a couple of apples for buying.

"You've got a late start today."

"I slept in."

"_You_ slept in? Well I'll be." The vendor winked, "Out late last night?"

I blushed, "No. I was tired." The vendor chuckled to himself.

Suddenly he whistled quietly and I looked up. He was looking farther down the row. I followed his gaze and paused.

It was a girl. She was slim and tall with long black hair tumbling down her back. Her eyes were lowered, preventing me from seeing their color, but her skin was a darker tone, and she wore a blue dress with a straight skirt and high collar. I realized, as she reached out and plucked a pomegranate with her elegant fingers, that she was Xingese.

"Don't stare too much lad," the vendor said "That's Xu Ran. Her family just moved here from Xing, and ever since, she's been the most sought after girl in town. She's turned down every single young hopeful whose spoken to her, and she's not about to start with you."

I shook my head, "I wasn't staring. I'll take these." I pointed to the pile of fruit that I had created.

"_Sure_ you weren't," the vendor rolled his eyes as he placed the fruit in a bag and handed it to me. I gave him some money, and while he made change, I took another look at Xu Ran.

She was examining the pomegranate with extreme detail, running her finger over the smooth skin, searching for blemishes unseen by the eye. Satisfied with the piece of fruit, she turned in the direction of the vendor, which also happened to be in my direction. I caught a flash of bright green eyes before I averted my gaze.

The vendor handed me the change, "Have a good day Al,"

"You too."

I hurried off to finish the shopping. The image of Xu Ran remained imprinted in my mind. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. I was slightly annoyed with myself. I didn't know anything about her, and from what the vendor had told me, she was slightly arrogant. Besides, I had feelings for someone else.

I tried to shake _that_ thought from my head as I grabbed a loaf of fresh bread, but Winry's smiling, happy face had already popped into my mind. I concentrated on paying for the bread, trying not to think about her, but I proved unsuccessful.

It was silly to even think about Winry like that. She loved Ed. I would always be thought of as a brother, and nothing more. I pushed away the tight knot of jealousy forming in the pit of my stomach, and I started down the street.

The crowd had died down, and the street was back to a normal level of quiet. It was pierced by a shriek.

I jerked around and saw two people wrestling with something in their hands. I recognized one of them to be Xu Ran, and I realized that the other person was trying to take her purse.

Immediately, I dropped the groceries, clapped my hands together and slammed them to the ground. The sidewalk rippled, and a fist protruded out to catch the thief in the side. He yelled in surprise as he was knocked to the ground, and strips of sidewalk wrapped around him, cementing him down.

I limped over and picked up the fallen purse, "Here." I held it out to Xu Ran. She was staring at the thief, and then turned to face me.

"Thank you." She took the purse and slung it over her shoulder, "Are you an…" She paused, searching for the right word. Her English had a lilt to it, more so than other Xingese people I had met. Probably because she hadn't been here very long, and wasn't yet comfortable with the language.

Her face brightened, "An alchemy user?"

I grinned, "Is sodium chloride dissolvable in dihydrogen monoxide?"

She frowned for a moment, and I smiled, "Sorry. Bad joke. Yes, I am an alchemist."

She bowed, "Well, thank you."

"You already said that," I pointed out, extending my hand, "I'm Alphonse Elric."

She regarded my hand for a moment before reaching out shyly and grasping it, "I am Xu Ran Xao. This how your people greet?"

I slipped one hand into my pocket, "Yeah, I guess. It's very nice to meet you Miss Xao."

Xu Ran looked at something over my shoulder and I turned to the fallen groceries, "Oops."

"Oh my. What a mess." I sighed, running a hand through my hair, forgetting that it was tied back. Xu Ran giggled and I inadvertently shot a glare at her, before remembering myself and re-doing my hair.

"I'm sorry," Xu Ran apologized, still smiling. She then bowed, "To make up for causing you to drop groceries, please come to dinner at my home."

I shook my head, "It wasn't your fault. It's fine. I didn't buy any eggs."

"Please. It is our custom."

I rubbed the back of my neck "Only if you cook good food."

Xu Ran straightened, "Xingese have good food." She pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled down her address and the time I should be there. She then said her goodbyes, and continued down the street. I stood there for a moment, and then walked over to pick up the groceries.

"Eleven forty-five," Winry said as I stumbled in through the door, "Fifteen minutes to spare. You got lucky this time Elric."

I took in another deep breath and started towards the kitchen. After Xu Ran had left, I had remembered the time and had been forced to run all the way home; as a result, I was exhausted.

"Al!" Winry complained, following me into the kitchen, "Don't you feel guilty at all that you nearly forgot to go grocery shopping and in doing so, go back on your promise that you made yesterday?"

I turned and smiled at her cute face, "Considering I didn't break the promise, no." I set the groceries on the table and began to unpack them. Winry glared at me for a moment, before helping me unpack. My heart skipped a beat every time her hand brushed against mine, but I carefully kept my gaze on the food in front of me.

"Crappy apple choice," she commented, holding up one of the less bruised ones. I glanced up, and for a moment, I admired her blue eyes pulled into a concentrated frown as she examined the apple.

"Er, those were the best ones I could get," I said, snapping out of my admiration. Winry shrugged and put the apples in the fruit bowl.

After we had finished unpacking the food, Winry disappeared into the depths of her workshop, and I sat down at the table to rest a little. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the slip of paper, staring down at her neat and simple printing. According to the vendor, Xu Ran turned down everybody who approached her. If so, then wouldn't she have brushed me off with a simple thank you and be done with it? Why take all the trouble to invite me over for dinner, unless she really was interested?

I sighed and put my head on the table.

"Women are too misleading for their own good," I muttered.

"Why?"

"Ack!" I jerked up and nearly fell out of my chair. Ed was leaning over me, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Hell, Ed, don't _do_ that," I gasped.

Ed sat down next to me, "But why are women misleading Al?"

I raised an eyebrow, "I think _you_ should know that reason the best."

"Oh shut it," Ed said dryly, "It's just that I've never really heard you talk about women before. It's slightly intriguing."

"Sorry to wake you from your fantasies, but I'm not a science experiment. Now, if you'll excuse me-." I stood and made to slip the piece of paper back into my, pocket, but Ed caught sight of it before I could.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, eyeing it.

"Nothing ," I replied, but his hand shot out and snatched it out of my grip.

"Hey!" I protested, "Give that back!"

"Gotta catch me first!" Ed jumped up and ran around to the other side of the table.

"You really haven't matured at all since you were fifteen, have you?" I huffed.

Ed responded by grinning, and started to open the piece of paper that he had crumpled in his fist, "Now, let's see what we have here-."

I reacted so fast that even I was surprised when I suddenly vaulted over the table and landed on Ed, causing us both to collapse onto the floor.

"Victory!" I proclaimed as I retrieved the paper.

"Not so fast little brother," Ed flipped me off of him and I landed on my back with a thump. For that one moment that I was dazed, he took the piece of paper and opened it to read, "An address? And a time?" His eyes widened, "Just what is this Al?"

"Go to hell, you Nosy Parker," I spat, pulling myself up.

Ed glared, "I'm the only one who can swear, you bastard."

"You're the one who's being bastard Ed." I held out a hand, "Now give that back before I take your scrawny ass to the dump."

Ed held up the piece of paper, "Not until you explain this to me. You're my little brother, and I have a responsibility to make sure your walking the straight and narrow."

"Don't talk to me about the straight and narrow brother. It's the address of a girl I met in town today. She invited me over to dinner in thanks for helping her retrieve her purse from a thief. Now, if you please." I waggled my fingers expectantly, but Ed seemed to have forgotten the piece of paper in his hand.

"You got invited to dinner by a girl?" he asked.

I tapped my foot, "I'm waiting Edward."

Ed walked over and slung an arm around my shoulder, returning the paper, "So, who is it?"

I ducked out of his grip, "None of you business." I started towards the stairs.

"Oh come Al, don't be like that. Who is it?"

"Xu Ran Xao. She's new in town."

"Oh, I've heard of her. The impossible-to-get girl. Is she pretty?"

"Honestly Ed, you're acting very much like a girl." I opened the door to my room.

Ed shrugged. "So what? I'm interes-." I cut him off by slamming the door shut. I took in a couple of deep breaths to calm myself before walking over and sitting down on my bed.

I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table; five hours until I had to be there. I groaned and fell back, sprawling my arms out and staring at the ceiling.

How was I possibly going to avoid Ed's questioning for five hours? I snorted. The answer: I wasn't.

I lay there for a while, just daydreaming. I tended to do this often when I was alone. It was relaxing, and it helped me sort out my thoughts and calmed me down. But I was just as confused as before when Winry came up to tell me lunch was ready.

"And you _are_ eating something," she warned through my door.

I stood up and stretched, "Yes, Ma'am."

I entered the kitchen somewhat reluctantly, peering around for my brother. Surprisingly, he wasn't there.

"Ed left before he could eat," Winry said disdainfully, "Said he had some business to take care of."

I almost sighed with relief and went to sit down.

"This is strange," I commented as Winry placed a sandwich in front of me, "You never make me lunch." Winry sat down across from me, crossing her arms and avoiding my eyes.

"Al…"

I cocked my head slightly. Winry wasn't acting normal, I could tell.

"Winry? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing much. I mean, I shouldn't even be prying into this. After all, it's not my business who you go see and all…"

I frowned, "Ed told you? About tonight?"

Winry nodded, "Yeah."

I shrugged, "What about it? You should be happy. It's one less mouth to feed after all."

Winry glared at me, "So that's what you think you mean to me? Another mouth to feed?" I was taken aback by her outburst. Winry and I rarely had conversations like these, and they usually had Ed somewhere in the mix.

I blushed and looked down, "I wasn't implying that," I said quietly. We were silent for a few moments and I peeked back up at her through my bangs. She had a tinge of pink crossing her cheeks as well.

"Is she nice, Al?" she asked.

My gaze darted down again, "Nice enough from what I can tell. Although," I laughed a little, "Her reputation as a heart-breaker is pretty well known, so I wouldn't know my chances."

"You're a perfectly nice guy Al. I'm sure she'll like you a lot." Winry stood, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. "I'm sorry about this. I just…you're like a little brother to me, and I'm just getting a little overprotective." She smiled, "Can you forgive me for that?"

I didn't reply. _You're like a little brother to me…_

"Yeah, sure."

Xu Ran's house was located on the other side of town, so I barely made it there in time. It was two stories tall, and brown, with a neat garden in the front. The steps were made of stone and my shoes clicked loudly on them as I walked up, only accentuated by the loud clunk of my cane. The door was white, and it had a window placed at the top. It was the epitome of luxury in a town like Resembool, and it made me nervous.

I reached up and rang the doorbell, and waited. It wasn't too long before a woman answered it. She had to have been Xu Ran's mother. Her hair was cut short and she had bright green eyes like Xu Ran. She smiled when she saw me.

"You must be Alphonse. Please come in." I stepped inside, looking around. The house was simple, furnished in the Xingese style, with low furniture and exotic plants.

Xu Ran's mother bowed slightly, "I am Xue Fang, Xu Ran's elder sister. Please follow me."

That surprised me a little. She was Xu Ran's older sister? I followed Xue Fang into the dining room, which had an Amestrian style table. I sat down and Xue Fang left. The table was set for four, including myself. So, there was me, Xue Fang, Xu Ran, and…someone else. It had to mean that Xu Ran only had one parent. Or maybe one of them was gone on a trip. Or maybe I think too much sometimes.

I heard a small giggle and whirled around in my chair. A little girl peeped out from the doorway, hiding shyly in the shadows. So this was the fourth person.

"Hello," I said cheerfully, "How are you?"

The girl came out a little, but didn't say anything.

I smiled, "I'm Alphonse; what's your name?"

She pointed at herself and said "Li Na."

I held out a hand, "It's very nice to meet you, Li Na." She walked forward and took the hand I offered. I smiled and twirled her around. She blushed and smiled back.

She suddenly darted around the table, peering at me over the top. I raised an eyebrow and she giggled. What an odd little girl.

"Li Na speaks no English. I apologize." I looked up when I heard Xu Ran's voice. She chuckled softly, "She is cute, no?"

"Xu Ran, please." Xue Fang came out behind Xu Ran, "I apologize. Xu Ran does not know her place."

"Sister!" Xu Ran turned red, and I laughed.

"It's fine."

Xue Fang turned to look at Li Na sternly and said something in Xingese to her. Li Na pouted and walked over to sit on one of the chairs.

Xu Ran sat down beside me. As soon as Xue Fang had left the room, Xu Ran turned to me.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, "Xue Fang isn't…terrifying?"

I snorted, "She's hardly terrifying." I could think of a lot of other things that were much more terrifying than Xu Ran's older sister, but Xu Ran didn't need to know that.

Xu Ran laughed, "Oh. Good. Many men are terrified off by her."

I rested my elbows on the table, "Why is that?"

Xu Ran shrugged, "There was conflict in Xing, and Father had us leave. Mother is ill and cannot make the distance. We are alone here," Xu Ran paused. Li Na stared down at her plate silently. I placed a hand on her arm.

"I don't need to know," I told her, "If it's not something you want to talk about, then don't talk about it for my sake."

Xu Ran nodded and then shook her head, "Why do I be all sad? This is special dinner. After all," she leaned in and whispered, "Xue Fang has not let guests over for one month."

So that's why she turned down all of her potential suitors. Because of her sister. A lot of things began to make sense. Suddenly, Xue Fang came in holding a large pot.

"Elbows off table," she barked and I immediately jerked them off. Li Na suppressed a giggle behind her hand.

Dinner was Xingese stew, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was like normal stew, except it was full of strange foods that I had never tasted in my life.

"This stew is very good," I said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the table. Xue Fang looked up from her meal.

"Was grandmother's recipe," she said lightly, taking another sip from her spoon. "I do not make commonly, so be thankful." I smiled and took another bite.

Dinner proceeded in the same silence until we had all finished. As soon as the last bite had been taken, I stood up and began to gather the dishes.

"What are you doing?" Xue Fang asked.

I looked up, "Well, you made such a delicious dinner, it's only natural that I would help clean up."

Xue Fang stood up, "In our country, it is rude for guests to take host job." She took the dishes from my hand and stalked into the kitchen. I stared after her and then looked down at Xu Ran.

"Is it really that rude to help clean up?"

Xu Ran nodded, biting her lip, "One of rudest."

I sighed and sat down, "I guess I'm not doing a very good job to impress you're sister."

"Reject you she would anyways." Xu Ran toyed with her skirt, "Xue Fang is strict, and she wants me to be arranged with Western man. Loving not part of culture. Xue Fang works at military base. Wants to arrange a military man for me."

Li Na waved a hand in the air, chattering away in Xingese.

Xu Ran smiled, "Li Na says that she will not let Xue Fang do that." But I still saw the sadness in Xu Ran's eyes.

I realized how lonely it would be to have a sister who watched over your every move, planning out your future for you. I would never be able to stand it. I didn't know how Xu Ran managed. I watched her carefully, as she talked a little with Li Na, smiling and laughing with her. She had a very beautiful, kind smile, I thought.

"Will you stay longer?" Xue Fang asked, poking her head in.

Xu Ran whipped her head around, "Sister! So rude!"

Xue Fang snapped at her in Xingese and Xu Ran fell silent, but I could felt the anger radiating off her.

I stood, "I'll leave. I don't want to impose on you any longer than I must."

Xue Fang didn't reply, but fell back into the kitchen. "Xu Ran, show him to door," she called out.

"I'm sorry," Xu Ran apologized as she got my coat from the coat tree.

I shook my head, "Don't worry. I don't like her much either."

Xu Ran held a finger up to her lips, "Shh. She'll hear."

I shrugged, "So what? It's not like I'm coming back or anything."

Xu Ran's shoulders sagged as she silently agreed. "Thank you for coming to dinner." She held out her hand, "You say goodbye like this too?"

I smiled and grabbed her hand. I felt something scratch my palm and I pulled my hand back to see a piece of paper. I looked up a Xu Ran, but she just smiled and winked. "Goodbye, Mr. Elric."

"It's Al," I whispered before I left through the door.

As I limped down the street, I opened up the piece of paper to read the graceful writing:

_River eight o'clock tomorrow_

I read it again and placed the paper in my pocket, whistling to myself.

"Well, I'm off!" I called over my shoulder as I left the house. It was just coming up eight o'clock and I was heading for the river. I wondered what Xu Ran needed to talk to me about. Apparently, it was something she couldn't talk to me about in the vicinity of her own house.

The house wasn't too far from the river, so I arrived in a matter of minutes. I picked the most central area, and sat down, waiting for Xu Ran's arrival. I didn't have to wait long before I heard a voice.

"Al!"

I looked over to see Li Na running over, Xu Ran in her wake. Li Na crashed into me, and we both toppled over. "

"Li-chan!" Xu Ran laughed, plopping down beside me. "I see she remembers my name." I helped Li Na stand up and adjusted my seat.

Xu Ran spoke sternly to Li Na. She nodded, and ran down the slope towards the water.

"It's not very deep. Whatever water she falls into won't be life threatening," I assured her as she watched her little sister nervously.

Xu Ran sighed, "I'm sorry. Li Na was only reason to be out."

"I can see that you two are very close."

"Yes."

Xu Ran watched Li Na for a little while longer before turning to me. "Mr. Elric," she started.

"Al," I corrected.

She smiled, "Yes, Al. I-." A small blush rose to her pale, fair cheeks as she said this, "I like you much. Not terrified of Xue Fang. Not same like others." She waved her hands around as she explained this to me, "Do not know how to say. My English bad. Um…"

I watched her carefully, admiring the way her forehead creased ever so slightly when she thought.

"You see me? I see you? Again?"

I blinked, "Like a date?"

Xu Ran stared at me, "Date? What is that?"

I held up my hands, "Er, we see each other again?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yes. Soon again."

Hesitantly, I reached over and placed my hand on top of Xu Ran's. It felt small and fragile beneath mine and she blushed at the touch. I thought very carefully about what I was going to say next. Winry's face popped up again, and I mentally shook my head.

"How about here again tomorrow afternoon?"

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**Like? Don't like? Thanks again to theretard5892. R&R please!**


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